


It's After the War (And you're next to me)

by funkystab



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cuddling, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Healing, Post-Season 5, SO MUCH FLUFF, a beautiful wish scene, they're happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:54:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25086484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funkystab/pseuds/funkystab
Summary: It's the night after She-ra and the other's defeated Horde Prime, and Catra can't sleep.Plus a short expansion on the 'a beautiful wish' scene.*Adora's arms wound around her as soon as Catra shuffled under the blanket. She didn't bother silencing the soft purr that rumbled through her chest in response. Adora's touch was a comfortable pressure, secure and stable. It had always been that way, Catra realised suddenly. She had never said a word and yet Adora knew just how much pressure was comforting. The thought made her cheeks flush."Is this okay?" Adora whispered.Catra hummed, nudging her face against her collarbone."Do you want to talk about it?""Not really," Catra muttered, her voice muffled by Adora's shirt. "I deserve it, really.""No, you don't," Adora responded instantly. Her voice was firm and resolute, despite the sleep still coating it.Catra scoffed. "Well, I don't deserve this.""You're trying. You have been for a while now. Isn't that worth something?"*This is entirely self-indulgent. Basically I crammed a bunch of prompts and ideas together and this happened.(Glimmer and Catra tag is platonic/friendship)
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 170





	It's After the War (And you're next to me)

**Author's Note:**

> This has exactly zero editing, let me know if there's any mistakes.

Catra couldn't sleep. She was exhausted, and her body ached from a battle won mere hours ago, yet it refused to let her rest. Each time her tired eyes flickered closed the nightmares began. She would wake moments later with a scream clawing up her throat, burning like bile. Her rapid heartbeat almost deafening in her ears and the tightness of her chest unrelenting, suffocating. Melog would shift beside her, bright eyes blinking gently despite the vivid red of her mane. Catra would find nothing lurking in the room despite how meticulously her frantic eyes scanned every corner. Of course, she was in Brightmoon now. She was safe. He was gone, and they had won. Yet Catra couldn't shake the fear crawling up her spine. 

She should be used to it by now. She had lived in fear all her life. She'd had nightmares before too, back in the Horde. None of this was new to her. But somehow, it all seemed more terrifying now. She finally had something to lose after all. 

'Adora?' Melog stirred beside her.

"Stay out of my head, Melog," Catra grumbled, her face flushing red. She turned and tossed the blanket aside, slipping out of the bed. "Whatever, I'm going for a walk." 

Melog stretched and followed her out the door. 

Catra wasn't sure where she was going exactly. Anywhere was better than her room right now, even the cold empty hallway. Away from the stench of fear clinging to every corner of her room. Maybe she could tire herself out. At the very least she wouldn't be tempted to close her eyes again. Maybe she should have put on some warmer clothes though. She wrapped her arms around herself instead. 

Melog mewled softly, coming to a sudden halt. Her eyes flickered to one of the doors. Catra recognised Adora's room almost immediately. She sighed, scratching Melog behind her ear. 

"She's asleep, we can see her tomorrow." 

Melog remained undeterred. She stepped towards the door and took a seat, mewling again. Catra shook her head, already turning away. Melog bumped her head against the door. It rattled, and Catra flinched at the sudden noise. 

"Melog!" Catra hissed. "You can't-"

Catra paused at the soft ruffling of sheets on the other side of the wall. Her ears twitched, her anger long forgotten. The door creaked open moments later. Adora stepped into view. Her hair was messy and Catra was fairly sure there was some drool dried on her cheek. It was unfairly cute, and Catra would rather die than admit it. 

"Catra?" Adora muttered, her voice rough with sleep. 

"Sorry, I couldn't sleep. I don't know why I came here," Catra faltered, suddenly embarrassed. "I can go-" 

"No," Adora interjected quickly. "No, it's okay, come in."

Adora moved aside, allowing them to step past her. Catra studied the room for a moment. It was almost identical to hers, though it felt... different. Somehow, Adora's room seemed much warmer than her own. 

"Nightmare?" Adora asked, shutting the door behind her. 

"No, it was just-" Catra trailed off. Melog brushed against her leg. She sighed, glancing down at the creature before meeting Adora's worried gaze. "Yeah." 

Adora frowned. 

"Come on, we can get comfortable and you can tell me about it. Or anything else. Or nothing at all." Adora rambled, already making her way back to the bed. Catra followed, ignoring the soft smile tugging at her lips. Tired Adora had a habit of rambling, even back when they were kids. 

Adora's arms wound around her as soon as Catra shuffled under the blanket. She didn't bother silencing the soft purr that rumbled through her chest in response. Adora's touch was a comfortable pressure, secure and stable. It had always been that way, Catra realised suddenly. She had never said a word and yet Adora knew just how much pressure was comforting. The thought made her cheeks flush. 

"Is this okay?" Adora whispered. 

Catra hummed, nudging her face against her collarbone. 

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Catra muttered, her voice muffled by Adora's shirt. "I deserve it, really."

"No, you don't," Adora responded instantly. Her voice was firm and resolute, despite the sleep still coating it. 

Catra scoffed. "Well, I don't deserve this."

"You're trying. You have been for a while now. Isn't that worth something?"

"I hurt a lot of people, Adora. I hurt you," Catra felt her voice waver. "I spent so long hurting everyone, and they're all just... They should hate me. They should be angry. They deserve to be. I don't deserve any of this. I don't deserve their forgiveness."

Adora paused. 

"Then work for it," She stated finally. "Work for it until you think you do deserve it. You were hurt too, you know. You deserve to heal, whether you think so or not."

Catra felt her eyes burn. She blinked, though the feeling persisted. Adora waited patiently, her hand drawing comforting circles on her back. 

"I feel like it's just a weird dream," Catra admitted. "That I'll wake up and you'll be gone. I'll be back in the Horde." Alone

"It's not a dream, Catra," Adora whispered. She leaned back slightly, letting Catra lift her head and meet her gaze. "I'm not going anywhere."

Adora's eyes flickered down to her lips. She waited, but Catra didn't move away. The kiss was slow, not much more than a gentle touch of soft lips.

"You're not doing a great job of convincing me of that, you know," Catra muttered after they parted. Adora laughed and kissed her again, more boldly this time. Neither she nor Catra was in any rush to distance themselves, and Adora let her forehead rest against Catra's instead. 

"Things are different here." She murmured. "No one is going to hurt you if you do something wrong, no matter what it is. Even if they're mad. Even if they find out you slept in my bed."

Catra laughed and buried her face in Adora's shirt again. It was all she could do to keep from crying. Adora's hand tangled into Catra's hair, softly scratching her scalp. It took a moment, but the familiar rumbling of Catra's purr soon filled the space between them. 

"Whatever, just don't go switching sides again."

"Unlikely," Adora's scoff turned into a snort, then a laugh, though her hand never stilled. Catra found herself smiling into her shirt.

"Just because you were right last time doesn't mean I trust whatever you have going on in that head poof of yours."

The comment only fueled the fire that was Adora's laugh. Catra felt a strange sense of pride at being the cause of it. The warmth in her chest and the soft fluttering in her stomach persisted long after Adora had stilled. For a moment Catra thought she might have fallen asleep. 

"Tomorrow night, stay here," She spoke suddenly. "If you want, I mean. We can have sleepovers like we used to. Talk and stuff."

Catra felt her cheeks heat up.

"It'll be harder to talk about what I want now that I have everything," She whispered, half hoping Adora wouldn't hear. She did. 

"When did you become such a sap?" Adora teased, her smug expression practically audible. 

"Whatever," Catra rolled her eyes. She pushed against Adora's stomach half-heartedly. "If you're gonna be a jerk I'm leaving."

"I love you," Adora muttered into her hair. Catra stilled. She had heard Adora say it in the heart of Etheria, of course, but that didn't stop her heart from skipping a beat. 

"That's so embarrassing for you," She mocked with a poor attempt to hide her purr. Adora only laughed. 

"You said it first, you know."

Catra blushed. 

"Whatever," Then, a beat later; "I love you too."

Adora's lips pressed against her forehead. 

Catra didn't dream when she finally fell asleep again that night, nor the next. If anyone had asked perhaps that would have been her excuse for abandoning her room each night. Adora didn't mind. She too slept much better with Catra beside her. Their bed was exchanged for a larger one wordlessly one night, though no one ever mentioned it. Adora suspected it was Micah, and Catra prefered to pretend it had always been that way. 

_______________

Adora studied herself in the water one last time. A strange feeling of Deja Vu flooded her chest. Something about her hair, or maybe it was her dress... Something about this seemed familiar. 

The door burst open and Adora jumped. 

"Just let me brush it!" Glimmer demanded as Catra evaded the brush in her hand. 

"No!" Catra laughed. She pulled away, dodging behind Adora as Glimmer followed. "Don't let her touch me, she's gonna torture me!"

"Do you always have to be this dramatic?" Glimmer laughed. She stopped in front of the pair, her hands on her hips. Catra only smirked from behind Adora's shoulder. 

"Come on guys, we're going to be late," Bow stepped into the room. His arm wound around Glimmer and she leaned into his touch. "We were already late to the last ball."

"Fine," Glimmer caved. She narrowed her eyes at Catra. "You're off the hook this time."

Catra only stuck out her tongue. Glimmer mimicked her childishly as Bow lead her out the door by her hand. The door shut behind them and Catra finally moved from her hiding spot behind Adora. She turned towards her girlfriend. Her lips were pulled into an amused grin and her eyes danced with affection. 

"You coming?"

A strange sense of unease filled Adora's stomach as she glanced at Catra's hand. She reached out regardless and the feeling dissipated the moment their fingers brushed. 

"Hey, Catra?" She spoke, pulling Catra close. Adora's hand rested firmly on her hip. A soft purr rumbled in Catra's throat as their lips connected in a slow kiss. It was short, much more so than they would have liked, yet both girls were left breathless. 

"What was that for?" Catra whispered against Adora's lips. 

"Just because I love you," Adora grinned, stepping away. Her eyes flickered behind Catra. "And it was nice distracting you."

"Distracting-" Catra broke off into a yelp as Glimmer ran the brush through her ponytail. She jumped, her tail puffed and her hands covering her head. "Hey!"

Glimmer's laughter was cut off as she disappeared, though it echoed from outside the room. Adora hunched over, clutching her stomach. 

"Whatever, it wasn't that funny," Catra huffed. Her hands fiddled with her hair protectively. 

"You should have seen your face," Adora snorted. She took a deep, steadying breath and wiped at her eyes. Catra glared at her, arms crossed over her chest. Adora only grinned. She stepped into Catra's space and wrapped her arms around her waist. "You're cute when you pout like that."

Catra scoffed. 

"I'm not cute, and I'm not pouting."

Adora raised her eyebrow in response, her face smug. 

"Whatever you say," She paused, running her hand down the length of Catra's tail to smooth her fur. Catra shivered at the touch, her cheeks suddenly hot. "Now come on, or we'll really be late."

Adora didn't wait for a response. She interlaced their hands and pulled Catra out the door with her. 

"Finally," Bow groaned.

Catra rolled her eyes, her cheeks still flushed. "Shut it, Arrow." 

"I could always teleport us-"

"Absolutely not," Catra interrupted, already tugging Adora down the hallway.

Adora laughed. The flickering feeling of unease was long forgotten, replaced by the familiar warmth in her chest. 

"Seriously, it would be so much faster," Gimmer argued. 

"It's not happening, Sparkles."

"You know that's not my name, Catra!"

Catra frowned. "It isn't? Are you sure?"

"Adora!" 

"Hey! What did I do?" Adora protested. 

"You're guilty by association!" Glimmer huffed. 

"If we're late to the ball, I'm going to be guilty of murder! Bow exclaimed, his voice cracking at the sudden volume. 

"I'd like to see you try, Sword," Catra scoffed. 

"That's it!" Glimmer grabbed the back of Catra's shirt. Adora followed, still clutching her hand. In an instant the hallway was empty.


End file.
